Word Limit and College Essays - How Important Are They?
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Universities globally demand admissions essays when candidates apply for MBA or UG courses. It can be that they can provide the same questions for all the applicants in one essay. However, the Admissions Committee can ask for different word limits for every essay. Thus, it is crucial to stick to the word limit given by the university for the essays. The essays that the universities generally demand range from short to long types. The essays contain answers to questions given admissions committee whose word limit varies from 100 to 1000 words. The essay word limit will be decided by the university you are applying to, and you must stick to the limit.
What is the word limit in an admission essay?
The college essay word limit determines the length of your essay. A word limit ensures a standard length for all the essays a college receives, regardless of formatting or font. You must strictly follow the word limit and should adhere to it. Your application essay can be below the essay word limit, but it cannot go beyond that. You will better understand through an example. If the essay word limit given by the university is 500 then your essay should be within 500 words, i.e. 400 words, but it cannot be 501. If the authorities give a range, then keep the length of the essay within that range only.
The reason behind providing a word limit for every admissions essay is to make the admission process standardized. Through this process, the university will be able to measure the output among applicants. Providing a college essay word limit is to evaluate the applicant’s skill in summarizing the experiences, and thoughts, and to convey them in a comprehensive, and concise way.
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Process to Write Essays within the Word Limit
Before you start writing an essay, have a rough idea about how long your essay should be. If you think, the estimated word count seems less, include a few different ideas. However, if the word limit seems to be exceeded, then drop the less important ideas. Check the points given below to keep the essay within the word limit.
- Think of a high-level structure for the essay
- Note down the short phrases or words that highlight the main idea that you want to present
- According to your style of creating sentences, keep the average number of words in mind that you need to elaborate on each idea
- Combine all the ideas and check if the word limit is exceeding or decreasing and work in and around it accordingly.
How to Format College Essay?
Regarding the essay word limit, several institutions mention the formatting the applicants must adhere to. This formatting can be double-spacing your essay or the font size the applicant must stick to. A college essay length can be measured by the word limit and not the page length. Hence, if you write in larger fonts, or you use double-spaced formatting, this will not increase the length of your college essay. Because your essay is measured by the word limit given by the university. Hence, it is advised to adhere to the essay word limit given by the university.
Can I go beyond the word limit?
The answer to this will be no. It is advised not to go over the maximum word count. If there is no preferred word count, then as per the college application form platform, Common App, it is safe to submit an essay that is under 650 words. Admission Officers look for well-written essays that follow directions. Every year, officers review thousands of essays. Ignoring the directions or word limit and writing a very long or short essay, may send the wrong impression.
So, if you go beyond the word limit, start trimming the unnecessary parts of the essay and get it down to the preferred word count. This will help in including the important information and will convey the main point of your essay in a precise way. If you exceed the word limit noticeably, the admission officers may just stop reading your essay beyond the decided word count. What it means is that if you were asked to write an answer in 300 words, and you wrote it in about 350 words, they would simply not read the last 50 words. In extreme cases, the Ad Com can simply reject the essay as being ‘too long’, and not read it at all, marking the application as ‘invalidated’. Therefore, it is a good general rule to follow the instructions that have been given to you by the institution about the word limit.
Can I go under the Word Limit?
It is clear that college essays have a strict word limit policy, so if you are writing 300 words for an essay that has a 500-word limit, it is better to ask yourself, is there anything more that you could add to support your points? You can also get help on this from your friend, teacher or parents on where you could elaborate your points.
If the college gives you a word range, then it is advised to follow that. For example, if the college gives you a word range of 400-500 words, then you need to at least write 400 words. In case, if you write less, it will come across as if you have nothing constructive to say.
Some Tips for Writing an Effective College Essay
To make your college essay stand out from the other applications, you can follow the points given below:
- Write a few drafts: Before sharing the final draft of your essay, your college essay should go through a few drafts. It is advised to utilize the rough draft phase by overwriting. In a sense, forget about the word count for a moment and let yourself write freely. This will help you write something new or help you expand your idea. Once you are done with your writing, start editing your essay. While editing, return to your essay with a fresh mind and see what you can cut short.
- Be authentic: Whatever you choose to write, make sure it is an authentic representation of who you are. As you go on to write your essay, go one step further by writing what you have learned in a particular situation and how you have grown as a person from that situation.
- Be specific: When you are stating an experience, try to make use of creative writing in your statement. In other words, use details to describe a situation in a better way. For this, you can use specific adjectives that highlight the action and scene.
- Ask for feedback: After developing the final draft, do not rush to send it over to the authorities. Instead, ask one of your family members, a teacher, or a friend to read your essay and get constructive feedback. This could include making changes if something is unclear or re-writing a section. Be prepared to make the changes, as required.
How to measure your college essay's word count?
After you have drafted your admission essay for college, you must measure the length of your essay. Here is how you can measure your college essay's word count:
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On Microsoft Word, The word count is usually displayed below. This is the simplest way to check the word limit.
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Another way to check word count is by putting the essay on a Google Doc. You can use this shortcut - Ctrl + Shift + C to see the word count.
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Word Counter app, is another way to count words. This app can count words, average word length, and average sentence length. It also automatically saves notes when you leave the app and can back up data.
There are numerous apps and options for counting words in a college essay that applicants can use to get precise word count of the essay and not exceed it any case.
Word Limit and College Essays FAQs
Q. Do colleges look at the word limit for essays?
A. The essay word limit is significant to make your application a success. The universities check your essay if you have followed the word limit or not. The main purpose of specifying a word limit is to standardize the process so that it becomes easy for the Ad Com to compare the output among candidates. Remember that the word limit evaluates your ability to prioritize your thoughts and showcase them in a concise and impactful manner.
Q. Is it fine to go below the word limit of the essays?
A. It is advised to stick to the college essay word limit given by the university, and not go below it. At the most, what you can do is to keep it ten words short of the word limit. So, if the essay’s word limit is 300 words, the essay can be over 290 words but should be within 300. You can always add some more details and information about your admission essay and avoid falling short of the given word limit.
Q. What will colleges do if you go over the word limit?
A. If you go beyond the word limit provided by the university, then the admissions officer will stop reading your essay after the given word limit is reached. Meaning, if the word limit is 500 words, and if you have written 600 words, the admission officers may not read after the 500 words. Ideally, the admission essays should follow the word limit restriction, avoid crossing the word limit and try and be precise if adding too many pieces of information.
Q. Do colleges prefer short essays or long essays?
A. Keep your college essay word limit between 250 to 650 words, if the admissions officer has not specified anything in the application terms. Though colleges requesting admission essays do mention the word limit, however in rarity of cases the word limit is not mentioned, students should be precise and try and keep their admission essay as short as possible by at least adhering to 300 words for the essay.
Q. What do colleges look for in essays?
A. The colleges may look for these three things in your admission essay: strong writing, a unique perspective, and an authentic voice. A great essay is one where it feels like the student is present right there in the room, talking authentically to the Ad Com. Moreover, it is the thought process that intrigues the reader to read more in the admission essay, hence one must be able to grab the attention of the reader and keep them motivated to read the essay.
Q. Does the college essay length matter?
A. All in all, it is best to stay within the word limit while writing a college essay. An essay word count has been specified for a reason. Writing too much would likely result in your essay being cut off, and writing under the word limit may cause readers to think that you are not interested in their university. In case, no word limit is given, it is best to stick to 400-600 words.
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Melbourne Institute of Technology Australia (MITA) is largely regarded as one of Australia's top institutions. It has a solid reputation in engineering, business, and science.
To begin with, Melbourne Institute of Technology Australia provides a world-class education with an emphasis on hands-on learning. You will be able to gain practical knowledge and abilities in a range of disciplines. Furthermore, the institution provides a wide range of courses and programmes that will provide you with the skills and knowledge required for a successful profession.
Second, the university is well-known on a global scale. It has the highest graduate employability rate in Australia. This is due to the great level of education and possibilities provided by the university to its students.
Third, the university boasts a broad and vibrant culture. While learning, you will be able to pursue your hobbies and meet like-minded people. This will aid in the development of your professional chances and the formation of strong relationships that will continue long after you graduate.
Fourth, the institution provides a wide range of facilities and services to make your studies more pleasurable and productive. You will be able to locate
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The University of South Dakota expects a GPA score of 2.5 from undergraduates and 3 from postgraduates on the 4-pointer scale. Along with the GPA scores, undergraduates must meet the basic eligibility and submit an ACT score of 21 or higher and an SAT score of 1070 or higher. In addition, they must submit the required documents, such as academic history, transcripts, letters of recommendation, English language scores, and more.
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The acceptance rate of the University of Notre Dame Australia is 19%, So for every 100 applicants, only 19 students get admitted. This means that it is a relatively competitive University. Candidates must fulfill the specific course requirements to secure admission to Notre Dame University. While the acceptance rate is competetive, it is suggested that the student applies early for higher chances of getting selected.
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There is no minimum GPA score for UG admission at Ohio State. However, International students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale or equivalent) for graduate admission. Applicants may submit a standardized test score (GRE or GMAT) if their cumulative GPA is below 3.0 for the last degree.
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International students going to pursue higher education in Germany are required to apply for a German study visa. The cost of study visa for Germany is EUR 75 per applicant. Below we have provided a check list for German student visa:
- Valid passport
- Application form
- Declaration for additional contact and legal representation information
- Copy of passport
- Proof of admittance to the study course
- Curriculum Vitae
- Proof of Financial Means
Q: What are the requirements for Delft University of Technology?
TU Delft has its own criteria that vary as per the programs for international students. We have mentioned below the Delft University of Technology requirements for international students:
For Undergraduate Admission
· Must have a secondary school Diploma equivalent to the Dutch pre-university
· Required examination subjects as per the program
· English Language Proficiency test score
For Graduate Admission
· A bachelor’s degree
· Must achieve a cumulative GPA of at least 75% in bachelor’s degree
· English Language Proficiency test score
· Additional test score of GMAT/GRE (if applicable)
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